Machine



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M. PARKS V.-FREEMAN.

DRBDGING MACHINE.

No. 244,480. Patented July 19,1881.

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v M. PARKS 8v V. FREEMAN.

DREDGING MACHINE. i

No. 244,480. Patented'July 19,1881.

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M. PARKS & v. FREEMAN. DRBDGING MACHINE.'

` Patented July 19,1881".y

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UNITED; 2 STATES PATENT rtree,

.MARSHALL PARKS. AND VIRGINIUS FREEMAN, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

DREDGING-MACHINE.

SIEECIFIGA'.KIION'y forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,480, datedJuly 19, 1881. Appleman nieu May rz, 188.1. (Nb model.)

` To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MARSHALL PARKS and VIRGINIUs FREEMAN, of Norfolk,in the State of Virginia, have inventedcertain new and'usefulImprovements in Dredging-Machines, of which the followin gis aspecication.

The machine in-which ourfimprovements` are embodied can be employed as adipper or grapple dredge, and may be used either'on` av barge or on landfor excavating purposes.

It is our object to obtain a wide range of' movement for the boom, so asto permit it, to be turned to different quarters of the compass, andthus brought opposite to various points where work is to be done.without moving the whole machine. With this infview we mount the boomand the engine and operating mechanism upon a revolving or semi-revolving table o r platform, and so arrange the steam-supply connection betweenthe engine and the boiler (which is not mounted on and does not movewith the platform) that the platform may be moved to any required extentwithin thelimits of its ran ge of movement withoutinterferin g withcontinuous steamsupply.` We also combine with the platform and boomimproved instrumentalities in the nature ofbrakes,which check themovement of these parts at any desired point. y Y

The nature of our improvement and themanner in which the same is ormaybe carried into effect can, however, best be' explained andunderstood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1is a plan, elevation, and Fig. 3 is a like end elevation, of a steamdredging-machine embodying our improvements. f-Fig.' 7 isa sectionalside elevation, on an enlarged scale, vof that portion of themachineparticularly embodying our invention. Fig. Sis an endelevationofthefront end of the boom land the dipper-handle carricd bythe same. Figs. 4., 5, 6 are'views of a detail hereinafter referred to.

A is -the barge which carries the machine. Upon a suitable bed, B,erected on the barge, rests the revolving circular table C, which issecured to a central hollow cast-iron cylindrical sleeve,D,which titsand is Yadapted to revolve' vwithin a corresponding sleeve, E, fixed tothe bed B. The table is supported near its pe- Fig. 2 is a sectionalside` ,riphery by cast-iron wheels a, which are mounted on wrought-ironarms or axles b, radiating `from the cylinder or sleeve D, and the twocylinders D, E, in order to afford proper support to the table at itscenter, are provided with horizontal flanges D' E', which, on theircontiguous faces, are recessed, as shown, to receive a number of conicalor spherical rollers,

d, (movable in the recess,) on which the table bears.

Attached to the revolving sleeve D is avboss or projection, e, to whichis pivoted or hinged at e therboonl F, within or upon which boom thedipper or grapple handles work in the lusual way, as indicated atF. Theboom is supported by stays -f, of iron chain or wire rope, whichleadfrom the boom'to a wroughtiron band, g, mounted iso as to be capableof rotatin gon a cast-iron cap, h, which surmounts the converging upperends of the four posts or. struts G, whose lower ends are firmly securedto the barge.

The engine (shown at H) is of any ordinary or usual'type, and isconnected with the usual mechanism for working the dipper or grapple.Itis placed o n the revol ving table O and moves therewith. Thesteam-boiler I, however, is not carried by the table, `but isstationary, being placedtin lthe barge below the table, as shown.

In order to supply steam from the boiler to the engine, 'we provide asteamgpipe, i, which .passes vertically and axially up through thehollow revolving sleeve D, and has at t" a slip,

ball, or other packed joint,which permits the upper section of thesteam-pipe to revolve in lthe lower section. It also has at the point'i2 another slip-joint, which will permit limited endwise and otherrequisite movements of the steam-pipe sections which there meet, inorder that they may accommodate themselves to oscillationsV or irregularmovements of the re- Y volving table. By this arrangement we -obtaincapacity for free movement of the table without interfering withcontinuons steam-su pply.v

' The engine also is used to furnish the power byvwhich the table isrevolved. To this end 4,there is mounted in the table a vertical rotaryshaft, j, which, by suitable gearing,` isdriven by the engine. On thelower end of this shaft is a; pinion, k, which meshes with a semicircu-IGl lar rack, l, fixed to thc outer vertical wall of an annular recess,B, formed in the bed B. By means of a clutch or other suitable devicethe shaft j is thrown into gear with the engine whenever it is desiredto shift the position of the table.

In order to neutralize the tendency of the boom to tilt the table, wearrange ou the edge of the table (on the side opposite that where theboom is) a series offriction-rollers, m, which run under the horizontalledge of a semicircularretanin g-bracket, a,fastened to the bed B.

The table, being heavily weighted, necessarilyhas, when it is once inmotion, considerable momentum. It becomes necessary, therefore, toprovide means whereby its movement can be arrested with certainty, andwithout undue strain upon the parts. To this end we make use of a doublefriction-brake. (Shown plainly in Fig. 2.)

J is the lever by which the double brake is operated. It is pivoted atoto the table, down through which its lower end extends. To this lowerend are jointed two horizontal sliding rods, pp', supported one abovethe other in han ger-bearings p2, which will permit them the necessaryfreedom of movement, and carrying at their outer ends brake-shoes p3.The brake-shoe of the lower rod, p', bears against the outer wall of therecess Bl 1n the bed, and the brake-shoe of the upper rod bears againsta semicircular abutment, p4, which partly encircles the table, and iserected upon the bed B. By moving the lever in the proper direction bothbrake-shoes will be applied simultaneously. By this arrangement, even ifone brahe-shoe should happen to be out of order, the other would beoperative. Moreover, the application of the brake-shoes in the mannerspecified enables the engineer to control with great certainty andaccuracy,the movements of the table.

In order to provide a still further means which may be used to arrestmovement of the table in case the brake just above described should forany reason happen to be inoperative, and which can also be employed,whenever desired, to neutralize the tendency of the boom to continue toswing or move independently of the table, we make use of an iron-chainor wire-rope stay-brace, and clamp therefor, which are shown moreparticularly in Figs. 4, 5, 6, Fig. et being a rear elevation of thatportion of the framing which carries the clamp and conical spools,together with a portion of the boom, Fig. 5 a plan of the same, and Fig.6 a side elevation of the clamp.

The stay-brace is shown at 1'. It is secured at the points r fr to theboom, and thence passes around spools s, (which, preferably', areconical,) and between sheaves t. Under this arrangement it will be seenthat the brace can adapt itself without diliiculty to various positionsto which the boom may be brought by 4the revolving table so long as thebrace is free to move between the sheaves. Should, however, the sheavesbe drawn tightly together, so as to close on the brace, the latter wouldthen be prevented from further motion and would check further movementof the boom.

To arrange the sheaves so that they may have this function, we mountthem in a suitable metallic frame, fv, attached to a cross-piece, c',extending between the two side struts G. The lower sheave has a stiffspringsupported bearing, as indicated, the object of which is to hold upthe sheave toward the other far enough to keep thebracechain in the biteof the sheaves and yet permit them to move to and from one another toaccommodate themselves to the irregularities of the chain. The uppersheave is mounted on bearings which can slide up and down, and areconnected'by a yoke-like strap, w, to a lever, pivoted at x to thecross-piece fv, and provided with a pin, x2, which enters a hole orslotin the lower end of strap w, as seen in Fig. 4. To lever x isjointed a handle, y, which hangs down in convenient proximity to theengineer. Whenever, for any reason, this mechanism is to be put inaction the engineer pulls down on the handle y, which has the effectofdrawing together the two sheaves, clamping them upon the brace betweenthem with such force as to check andspeedily arrest further movement of'the braceand boom with which it connected.

The spools s are made conical, iu order to take up slack, which occursas the boom is moved by the table to one position andv another.

Having described our improvements, vwhat we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination of the revolving-table, the engine, boom, dipper or:grapple, and operating mechanism mounted on and.- moving with the table,the stationary boiler, and' the steam-pipe extending from the boiler tothe engine axially through the table andItable-bearings, and provided atthat point with a joint which permits the one pipe-section to revolve inor on the other, substantially as and for the purposes hereinhefore setforth.

2. The bed and hollow-bearing cylinder fixed therein, in combinationwith the table, the mechanism carried by the same, and the cylindricalsleeve iixed-` to and moving with the table and fitting into the fixedbedfcylinder, and the steam-pipe extending up through said sleeve to theengine.

3. In combination with the bedv and the revolving table and mechanismcarried by the same, the brake-lever and double brake constructed andarranged for operation as and for the purposes herein shown and setforth.

4. The stay-brace and clamping mechanism, in combination with the fixedstruts or supports, the spools, the revolving table, and the poom,substantially as and for the purposes set orth.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, ofthe xedstruts or supports,

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the bed, the revolving table, and the boom, the commodate themselves tothe varying movedouble brake, the stay-brace,and the braoements ofthetable, substantially as hereinbeclamp. fore set forth.

6. In combination with the revolving table, In testimony whereof We havehereunto set 5 the engine carried thereby, andthe stationary our handsthis 16th .day of April, 1881.

boiler, the steam-pipe passing from the boiler c MARSHALL PARKS. axiallythrough the table to the engine, and VIRGINIUS FREEMAN. composed ofsections jointedy together at two Witnesses:

points, substantiallyas described, so that they E. C. LINDSEY,

1o may move with respect to one another to ao- G. W. TALBUT.

